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Emperor1956 -> RE: picture of my new guinea pig! (6/30/2008 12:07:11 PM)
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He's a cute cavy. We've had them. HOWEVER, re: allergies -- cavies (GPs) are about the MOST allergenic-generating domestic animal (rabbits are wayyy up there too). In fact, your US Army used GPs to both research and test allergen based weapons because they are such prodigious producers of human allergens. (Your tax dollars at work, bucko). There are two major problems with the piggies, and then there is a third issue:
Airborne allergens from the GP are excreted in the urine and are part of the dust from the skin (issues one and two). This means that this very strong allergen gets on both the bedding and the hair, and becomes airborne when little piggy runs around (NOTE that there is very little allergy issue with the hair itself, but with allergen coated hair). So you are double-whammed, by Mr. Piggy's pee, and by his skin cells shedding. Most reactions are wheezy, teary eyes, and eczema where the skin touches the allergen. Serious problems include asthma and anaphalxis (shock).
THEN, if you aren't allergic to Mr. Piggy, you gotta be careful of his bedding. The two most common beddings - hay and cedar shavings - introduce a ton of toxins into the home. Hay is notorious, and the better the hay is for piggy (i.e. more absorbent, softer) the worse it is for you (hay dust). There are, however, beddings that are less toxic (but much more expensive). One nice solution is a product made out of sterilzied, recycled newspaper. Another is cheap cotton towels.
But by and large, if there are allergies in the house, Mr. Piggy is a bad choice. Get a snake. Or an arachnid. Low on the cuddly, but high on the hypoallergenics.
E.
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